How you can help

Carers, families and friends play a significant role in managing and caring for someone with an eating disorder.

They can provide physical, emotional and psychological support, as well as behavioural and practical support.

It is important to realise that anyone can experience an eating disorder. However, it is not always easy to detect evidence of an eating disorder in another person, as eating disorders cannot be identified by someone’s size or shape. This may make the characteristic behaviours of the illness difficult to recognise. It is also often very difficult for the person with an eating disorder to ask for help, so they may subsequently behave as if there is nothing wrong.

Being as informed as possible about warning signs and symptoms will help you identify the early stages of the illness in someone you are concerned about. This may be a matter of reading the information on this website or seeking out further information from other, trusted sources.

The earlier you uncover an eating disorder in someone you care about, the sooner you can seek help, access treatments and begin working towards recovery.

You can also talk to a professional who has specialised knowledge about eating disorders and who can provide advice and support and help you determine whether or not someone you care about has an eating disorder. You can also talk to your family doctor or GP or you can call the National Helpline for advice and support.

Being a carer

If you are caring for someone with an eating disorder it is possible that at certain times you may feel:

Distressed about what is happening to you, the person you care for, and how this is affecting you and your family

Anxious and afraid about the physical and psychological changes in the person you care for

Burnt out or worn out from the demands of caring for someone with an eating disorder, as well keeping on top of family life and work commitments

Guilty about your ‘role’ in the illness. It is very common to fear that you are in some way responsible for bringing on the disorder or that you did something wrong in relation to eating, food or habits

Confused about the best way to help, whether on a daily basis or in regards to the long-term goal of recovery

Hopeless about your ability to provide support or about whether the support you are giving is enough

Frustrated or upset because you can’t fix the problem ‘straight away’

Aggravated because you can’t access help and assistance from clinicians and other professionals in a timely manner

The important thing to keep in mind is that these are all valid and normal feelings experienced by carers.

Do you need help?

If you need to get in touch with someone with the expertise in eating disorders, please find details here.

This Internet site is presented by the Butterfly Foundation as co-ordinating agency of the National Eating Disorders Collaboration for the purpose of providing information and resources on the prevention and management of eating disorders for the benefit of the public. The Butterfly Foundation as co-ordinating agency of the National Eating Disorders Collaboration monitors the information available on this Internet site and updates the information regularly. The Commonwealth and the Butterfly Foundation do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this Internet site or on any linked site.

The National Eating Disorders Collaboration is an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Health.

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We will continue throughout 2018 to update and improve the NEDC website and welcome any feedback you may have on the site.